Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to cutting tools including a mechanism for adjusting replaceable cutting inserts mounted on the cutting tool.
Description of the Invention Background
Most manufactured products contain one or more components manufactured by machining. Often, the machining step or steps produce the components to very precise tolerances. Machining, while one of the most basic and important processes used in manufacturing metal products, also is one of the more expensive. Thus, even modest improvements in the machining process may yield substantial cost savings. The design of the cutting tool is critical to the efficiency by which material can be removed from the workpiece. Thus, substantial sums are spent each year to research and develop improved cutting tools for machining.
A number of machining processes use a rotatable cutting tool. Those processes include milling and boring. In milling, a form is generated in a workpiece by the action of a rotating cutting tool on the workpiece. The cutting tool is called a milling cutter, and such cutters are often constructed to utilize removable and replaceable cutting inserts or tips. Many devices have been used to retain the cutting inserts on the milling cutter body such as, for example, clamps, screws, and wedges. A number of approaches have been developed to allow for adjustment of the position of the cutting edge of the cutting insert in relation to the cutter body of a rotatable cutting tool. Examples of prior art adjustable milling cutters and other adjustable cutters are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,164,380, 4,428,704, 5,454,667, 6,942,431, and Japanese Pat. 2007-196357.
The present invention is a significant improvement over the prior art in that, for example, it provides a cutting tool or “cutter” having a simplified, rigid construction that allows precise and accurate adjustment of the one or more cutting inserts mounted on the cutter. This feature, in turn, allows for more precise final dimensions on parts being machined.